What are the 2025 high school graduation and dropout rates for Somali students in Minnesota compared to other immigrant groups?
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Executive summary
Minnesota state data and reporting referenced by school districts show recent graduation-rate tracking exists, but available sources in this packet do not publish a clear 2025 four‑year graduation or dropout rate specifically for Somali students statewide — Minneapolis Public Schools notes Somali‑home‑language rates among subgroup reporting but does not give a statewide 2025 Somali graduation/dropout figure [1]. State-level resources describe how Minnesota measures graduation and dropouts and how immigrant status is reported, but none of the provided documents give a 2025 comparative table of Somali versus other immigrant groups’ high‑school graduation or dropout rates [2] [3] [4].
1. What the official data systems can — and don’t — tell you
Minnesota reports four‑, five‑, six‑, and seven‑year graduation rates and uses a national dropout definition; districts submit detailed student support data including immigrant counts and home language that feed subgroup rates [2] [3] [4]. That infrastructure makes it possible for district or state reports to show Somali students’ graduation outcomes, but the sources you supplied do not include a statewide 2025 release with Somali‑specific graduation or dropout numbers to compare with other immigrant groups [2] [4]. Available sources do not mention a published statewide 2025 Somali graduation or dropout rate.
2. Evidence from districts and local reporting: partial, not statewide
Minneapolis Public Schools publicly discussed subgroup graduation-rate changes and specifically notes home‑language Somali as a subgroup in recalculations for the class of 2023 — an example of district‑level reporting that can include Somali students — but MPS materials in this packet do not present a 2025 statewide Somali rate nor a direct comparison to other immigrant groups across Minnesota [1]. Local stories about graduations and Somali families’ experiences (scheduling around Eid, ceremony conflicts, cultural celebration styles) show Somali students are visible in graduation events, yet these reports are anecdotal and do not provide comparative graduation/dropout statistics [5] [6].
3. Why a direct 2025 Somali vs. other‑immigrant comparison is not in these sources
State guidance and data collection explain how immigrant and recently arrived students are identified and funded (Title III and SSDC reporting), and Minnesota has adopted standard dropout definitions tied to federal reporting — but the materials here are implementation guides, program descriptions, and older or district‑level documents rather than a 2025 disaggregated outcome table by country of origin [4] [3] [2]. In short: the reporting systems exist (making such a comparison possible), but the supplied sources do not include the specific 2025 numbers you asked for [4] [2].
4. Context on immigrant student outcomes and why differences appear
National research shows immigrant subgroups can have very different dropout and completion profiles; for example, past NCES work finds foreign‑born Hispanic youth had higher dropout rates historically, and status vs. event dropout measures can skew results where students arrive without U.S. schooling [7] [8]. Minnesota analyses and advocacy documents emphasize that policies (in‑state tuition, scholarship access) and supports can affect high‑school completion and postsecondary enrollment for immigrant students [9] [10]. These contextual sources show outcomes reflect policy, English‑learner supports, recency of arrival and community resources — factors that would shape any Somali vs. other‑immigrant comparison [9] [4].
5. Conflicting narratives and political context that matter for interpretation
Coverage and commentary in this packet show competing portrayals of Somalis in Minnesota: community and research outlets highlight growing Somali populations and local successes (population estimates, civic participation) while some opinion and advocacy pieces emphasize socioeconomic challenges and debates over welfare or fraud; these political frames can shape how data are used and presented [11] [12] [13] [14]. When comparing graduation or dropout rates across immigrant groups, analysts must be alert to selective citation, differing denominators (home language vs. country of birth vs. self‑identified ancestry), and local reporting choices [11] [12] [1].
6. How to get the exact 2025 numbers you want
To produce the Somali‑vs‑other‑immigrant comparison for 2025, consult Minnesota Department of Education graduation dashboards or Student Support Data Collection (SSDC) outputs and district subgroup reports (MDE’s graduation pages and SSDC are described in these sources as the channels where such data are published) [2] [4]. Minneapolis Public Schools and other large districts publish subgroup recalculations and could provide local Somali home‑language rates as exemplars [1]. Available sources do not include direct 2025 statewide Somali and comparative immigrant‑group statistics; request the MDE 2025 graduation data dashboard or SSDC extracts for disaggregated counts and rates [2] [4].
Limitations: this analysis uses only the documents you provided; those documents establish methods and examples but do not contain the specific 2025 Somali graduation/dropout figures or a statewide immigrant‑group comparison [2] [4].